Exercise is Crucial in Type 1 Diabetes Care

It seems like the go-to-answer for better diabetes health is always exercise. Want to have more energy? Exercise more. Want to stabilize your blood sugar levels? Exercise more. Want to become superhuman? Exercise more. While we all know that exercise is very important and, in fact, will actually help us if we just do it, for many people, it is one of the hardest activities to squeeze into the schedule.

According to a recent study published in the journal Diabetologia, it is more important than ever to make time for exercise in our daily routine. The study revealed that exercise can help to preserve the existing beta cells in the body and can increase production of new beta cells in newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes. This is a huge finding because beta cells are the future of diabetes care and the pathway to a cure.

Those individuals that have been recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes often still have some insulin-producing cells in their body than those who have had the disease for years. Over time these cells die and the individual no longer can make any insulin on her own. We hear about the importance of exercise as a form of treatment for type 2 diabetes frequently, but it’s not stressed nearly as much for those with type 1. As previously suggested by healthcare professionals, exercise is helpful for those living with diabetes and anyone in general for that matter.

Now with the results of this study suggesting that exercise can extend the period of time that the body continues to make insulin by preserving the existing beta cells, it sheds a whole new light on the importance of exercise. Whatever excuses we can come up with to not exercise are not good enough anymore.

This is bigger than everyday diabetes care — it could be your future we are talking about.